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Ahadi/Main article
Ahadi is the king of the Pride Lands in A Tale of Two Brothers. He is the father of Mufasa and Taka, as well as the mate of Uru. Appearance Even for an adult lion, Ahadi is considerably large. His body, both sturdy and strong, sports broad shoulders, rounded muscles, and an expansive chest which extends outward with the added length of his mane. As far as coloring goes, Ahadi is noticeably darker than his fellow pride members. His main pelt, though lighter in undertones, is distinctly dark, being a dirty gold, almost brown, as opposed to the paler hues of his pride mates. His mane, however, is lush and red, expanding down his chest and nearly reaching his middle underbelly. While his chest, muzzle, and paws are all sandy in color, his eyeshades are darker than his main pelt and his eyes are brownish-red. Interestingly, Ahadi is almost a perfect mixture of his two sons, Mufasa and Taka. Sharing both his build and his lighter hues with Ahadi, the elder inherited his father's golden fur, as well as his uncolored paws and reddish-brown eyes. Taka, on the other hand, shares his father's dark eyeshades, as well as the darker undertones of his pelt. Both sons mirror their father in facial structure, though this comes through more noticeably in Mufasa. It should be noted that the text of ''A Tale of Two Brothers conflicts with the appearance described above, as the author depicts Ahadi as having a black mane and green eyes, as opposed to a red mane and reddish-brown eyes. Personality Above all, Ahadi is known for being a good leader. His determination, patience, and wisdom have not only been observed by his family, but also by his subjects, who respect him for the strength he exhibits even in hard situations. Though he is often bogged down by the duties required of him, he always follows through to the best of his ability, using his good judgment to sort out any situation that comes his way. In addition, Ahadi is considerably brave and strong, being known throughout the land for his great power and strength. Despite this great advantage he has over others, he refuses to abuse it, only exerting it for the benefit of his kingdom and his subjects. This practiced ease of control is a convenient means of maintaining order, as he is an intimidating presence with an air of power about him. He is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, even if it means the discontent of some of his subjects. However, unlike his eldest son, Mufasa, who exhibits great force in his rule, Ahadi is known for being somewhat soft when it comes to the will of his subjects. Often taking the blame for problems, Ahadi frequently submits to the complaints of the Pridelanders, doing all in his power to make them happy again. Though this ultimately labels him compassionate and sympathetic, it also shows that he has a certain degree of weakness when it comes to pleasing others, as he feels it's completely his duty to see that everyone is content. Information The Lion King Ahadi is vaguely mentioned in The Lion King when Mufasa is teaching Simba about the great kings of the past. The Lion King: Six New Adventures Ahadi is the fourth known king of the Pride Lands. His succession right is unknown, though it's possible that he was either the son or son-in-law of Mohatu and the mate of Uru. He fathered two sons, Mufasa and Taka. A Tale of Two Brothers Before becoming chief adviser of the Pride Lands, Rafiki was a wanderer. Upon entering the Pride Lands, he is attacked by hyenas at Five Stones. But before the hyenas can hurt him, a mighty roar stops them in their tracks and they look up to see Ahadi arriving with his two sons, Mufasa and Taka. The king chides the hyenas on their constant hunting and reminds them that it was against the regulations of the Pride Lands to hunt for sport. Shenzi tries to object, but Ahadi silences her and orders them away. After the hyenas are gone, Mufasa introduces himself, his father, and his brother to Rafiki, and Ahadi asks what Rafiki is doing in the Pride Lands. Rafiki explains that he is seeking knowledge and studying the African land. Ahadi believes that Rafiki might prosper from such a quest, and admits that the Pride Lands was in dire need of wisdom. Rafiki agrees to help Ahadi, and the three lions lead him back to Pride Rock. When they arrive, Ahadi explains to Rafiki that his mate, Uru, was out seeking a new source of water for the Pride Lands. Ahadi and Rafiki talk all day, and when night finally falls, Ahadi offers Rafiki a place to sleep. The next day, a crowd of shouting giraffes, zebras, warthogs, and other African animals come before Ahadi. Mufasa sits at his father's side, while Taka lies a few feet away. All the animals complain to Ahadi about the shortage of water and food. The antelopes and zebras blame the giraffes, while the leopards blame Boma and his herd. Meanwhile, the ostriches and Zuzu are worried about the hyenas. Ahadi promises to take care of them, but he is interrupted by an ostrich, who asks him when he would do it. He proclaims that he would take care of it right away, but Taka reminds him that he had promised to take his sons hunting that morning. Ahadi tells his son that hunting would have to wait. Enraged, Taka complains that whenever Ahadi planned to do something with his sons, something more important came up. Ahadi reminds Taka that a king had great responsibilities and Mufasa seemed to understand this. Taka complains that "daddy's favorite" always got more attention, but the animals protest that it didn't matter who was king if the whole land starved. The protesting gets louder until Ahadi has to roar for silence. He tells the desperate animals that he will take care of the hyenas and that Uru was out searching for a new water source, but until then, they would have to be patient. He tells Taka that he hopes he would understand, but the young lion just snarls and yells that Ahadi's promise had been broken. Ahadi turns to Rafiki and says that it would be much easier to learn about the little problems before they became big ones. Without another word, he goes off to deal with the hyenas. As he leaves, Zuzu comments on how brave he is. She'd seen him go off to face many dangers; as a matter of fact, she had known about the waterhole problem for days, but didn't want to add more to Ahadi's agenda. Later, Mufasa and Taka are attacked by three cape buffalo, and Ahadi, who was notified by Zuzu, comes to their aid at the head of a herd of elephants. They surround the buffalo, and Rafiki comes to stand beside Ahadi, who demands to know why the buffalo had attacked his sons. The buffalo whine that Mufasa and Taka had started it, but they are interrupted by Mufasa, who cries out that Taka is hurt! Rafiki assures Mufasa that he will look after Taka, but Ahadi still warns the buffalo that it had better not be serious. He joins Mufasa at Taka's side. Rafiki finds that Taka has suffered no broken bones, but has a serious injury on his face. He tells Ahadi that he has an herb pouch back at Pride Rock, and Ahadi suggests taking Taka home. He tells an elephant to carry Taka in his trunk and orders another elephant to help Boma out of the gully. Later, after Taka is feeling better, Rafiki tells him that he'll carry a scar for the rest of his life. Ahadi tells him that it will remind him of how reckless he'd been. Mufasa asks Taka why he had angered Boma, and Taka admits that he had wanted to embarrass Mufasa and get even with Ahadi for breaking his promise. Ahadi gently tells Taka that instead of hurting them he had nearly gotten himself killed, and the scar would serve as a reminder of this. At first, Taka is angry, but then he softens. He asks to be called "Scar" from then on, as another reminder of his recklessness. The four then go to join Zuzu, who is waiting nearby. Ahadi says that despite Taka's attack, Boma and the herd had agreed to share water with the other Pridelanders. He sighs and admits that he had no way of learning about little problems before they became big ones. Rafiki suggests appointing an "eyes and ears" of the kingdom, who could report all troubles to Ahadi and help him become acquainted with his followers. Ahadi likes this idea and asks Zuzu if she would take the position. Zuzu is honored and immediately accepts his offer. Ahadi is relieved and says that from then on, her family would serve as stewards to the kings of the Pride Lands. Zuzu bows her head, politely accepting his words, then takes to the air to return home to her family. Ahadi turns to Rafiki and proclaims that he would be his teacher. At first, Rafiki is stunned, because he had always lived alone. But Ahadi wants the Pride Lands to thrive under the leadership of a wise king. He asks Rafiki if he would help achieve this goal. The baboon finally accepts Ahadi's offer, but only if he would be able to go on quests from time to time to obtain more knowledge. Ahadi heartily agrees, then proclaims that he could already feel the wonderful times coming to the Pridelands. Follow the Leader When Rafiki sets out on a journey to save his homeland, he asks Simba if he's sure he wants to come along. Simba reminds Rafiki that he's been serving the Lion Kings since the reign of Ahadi; of course he'd help. How True, Zazu? In How True, Zazu?, Mufasa mentions that Ahadi had once told him a story about an army ant attack, in which the fearsome creatures killed zebras in Muwa's herd. Relationships with Other Characters :Mufasa: Ahadi shares a very close bond with his eldest son. In addition to understanding each other, the two seem to mirror each other in personality. Though he is young and still learning, Mufasa shows a great deal of wisdom and understanding in the ways of ruling a kingdom. Ahadi recognizes these noble qualities in his eldest son and favors him in terms of making him king. In times of turmoil, Mufasa stays by his father's side, ready to help in whatever way he can. Even when Ahadi is not present, Mufasa still strives to keep the kingdom in check, showing that his willingness to help his father does not come from a selfish desire to gain more respect, but through an honest devotion to Ahadi. :Rafiki: Upon first meeting him, Ahadi is very much interested in Rafiki's quests and lore. He harbors a deep respect for the old baboon, enough so that he appoints Rafiki to be the chief adviser of the Pride Lands. This shows the amount of trust Ahadi has in Rafiki, despite the fact that he has only known Rafiki a day. The two seem to share a semi-close bond, which is fueled by respect for each other, rather than love or devotion. :Taka: Though they don't always get along, it's clear that Ahadi loves Taka very much. After Taka is hurt by a herd of cape buffalo, Ahadi's calm and gentle demeanor collapses into worry for his son's safety. It's strongly hinted that Ahadi tries his best to show both his sons that he loves them, but can't always follow through on his promises. Taka is resentful of this and convinced that Ahadi loves Mufasa more than him. Because of this, he is intent on pleasing his father. But by the end of the story, it's obvious that Ahadi loves his sons with equal passion. Even Taka realizes this. Family Tree Quotes References : Category:Animals Category:Characters Category:Leaders Category:Lions Category:Male Characters Category:Non-Movie Characters Category:Pridelanders Category:Protagonists Category:Semi-Canon Characters Category:Kings of Pride Rock